Brake failure of the bus: Who is responsible , the driver or the corporation ?

At Kondagattu near Jagtial , Telangana a gory accident took place when the TSRTC bus carrying 53 passengers to the famed Hanuman Temple at Kondagattu skidded off the ghat road due to brake failure and killing 43 passengers so far in which women and children are also there. Normally a bus goes through routine check early morning and especially when the buses are to run on the ghat roads, the corporation should be doubly sure and even the drivers must ensure good brakes in force. But unfortunately this accident happened and many died. Who is responsible ?

The vehicle goes for a maintenance check everyday or on alternative days, or as and when the driver makes a complaint in the record book maintained by the depot. Nevertheless, it is the duty of the driver to ensure the vehicle is roadworthy while taking out the vehicle from the depot, especially with regard to the vehicle's brake which is a very important function of any vehicle driven on the road . However, incidents happen as accident due to unfortuanate fate of the passengers destined to be killed in a road accident.

Hence it is called an accident that cannot be avoided, not an incident that could be avoided.No life without Sun

The bus is not supposed to run in that route. But as the distance is less by 4 Km, the driver opted for this route. As the bus was coming down from a height, the driver changed the gear to neutral also. Because of this, the driver was not able to control the bus and the unwanted happened. Why the driver went on a route which is not good for bus travelling is a big question. More than 40 people died. The incident is a clear case of the negligence of the bus crew.yesterday one more accident took place involving the TSRTC bus only. The bus run over 3 persons and all the three died. The driver ran away and no whereabouts are known so far. The police suspect that the driver was in a drunken condition. Both the accidents are mainly due to the negligence of the drivers only. This shows lack of discipline in the TSRTC staff. The management should take suitable action on all the erring crew so that they will be careful in their duties.drrao always confident

Going by the details provided by Dr. Rao, the driver and the conductor of the ill-fated bus is to be squarely blamed for the avoidable tragedy which led to the death of more than forty passengers and badly injuring many of them. Accidents do happen but when it is due to the negligence of someone and could have been avoided otherwise, the persons responsible for the same will have to answer for the same.'It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it'. - Aristotle.

Saji,Why do you blame the conductor of the bus who is solely responsible to issue tickets; collect cash; and its safe custody? This is the utter negligence of the authority who gave permission to divert the route, and the negligent driver who could not manage to drive the vehicle in that terrain.No life without Sun

The bus was over loaded and not fit for ghats, secondly the driver applied neutral while coming down the ghat and thus break failed.K Mohan'Idhuvum Kadandhu Pogum "Even this challenging situation would ease

Sun, I am sure that the driver alone could not have taken a decision to take a different route and the conductor must have been taken into confidence because they are supposed to work as a team while performing their duties together. Yes, the act of the driver in shifting to the neutral gear while going downhill might have been the main reason for not being able to control the vehicle or to apply the brakes on time and so his criminal liability stands a step ahead.'It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it'. - Aristotle.

I am going by the reports published in the national daily, that I subscribe to. It mentions neither brake failure nor that the driver took a different route. According to the report, the bus was travelling at a 'certain' speed, and the driver failed to slow down as it went over a bump (speed breaker) on the road, the sudden impact of which made the driver lose control of the vehicle. The bus rolled over four times before tumbling into the ravine.

The report also states that it was overloaded, and had around 90 passengers on board. The locals

Coming to the "different route" theory that is being discussed here. I have driven down ghat roads in various states, and I have always seen only one motorable route, between two destinations, located at a short distance. Constructing roads on the ghats is no mean task, and no government would build an alternative road if one already exists. It would impact the environment, wouldn't it? This debunks the 'different route' theory."A love affair with knowledge will never end in heartbreak." -Michael Garrett Marino

Further to what I have mentioned in the post above, Google maps also show just one road between Kondagattu and Jagtial, the route on which the bus was plying. That clearly supports my logic, that of the presence of one motorable road on ghat roads."A love affair with knowledge will never end in heartbreak." -Michael Garrett Marino

The matter is still under investigation, to find out what happened. But, primary reports indicate what I have mentioned in my response above. The theory of the bus going over the speed breaker, at high speed and the driver losing control of the vehicle must have been deduced from the skid marks, the proximity of the site of the accident to the speed breaker and of course, the account of the people who survived the accident."A love affair with knowledge will never end in heartbreak." -Michael Garrett Marino

There are so many road accidents taking place now a days due to various different reasons. The most common of them are either mechanical failures or carelessness of the driver.

Maintenance is a crucial part of any machinery and that is very true for moving machines like train, bus or plane. If the maintenance is not up to the standard and safety standards are low, the accidents are bound to happen.

The other factor the man behind the machine is also very very important as any lapse by him is going to be very costly. His job is very responsible one and if a driver is not calm and composed during his working hours it will reflect in his driving and any time a fatal mistake can happen. That is why these people require time to time training and counselling.

Abiding by speed limits, traffic rules etc are also very important as most of the accidents happen because of not following the rules.

Prevention is better than cure and it is aptly right in such scenarios. There is no point in finding out whose fault is it rather we should try to improve our systems and maintenances and working practices to such standards that we can boast of a zero accident society.Knowledge is power.

A detailed article has come today in the newspaper. The route was changed by the TSRTC officials themselves as there will be more passengers to this particular place as the day happened to be Tuesday and more people will visit Hanuman temple in this place on Tuesday. Total 101 passengers were there on the bus at the time of the accident. 48 people died and 53 were admitted to the Hospital. The bus was very old and the service period has been extended by doing some maintenance works. It is the practice of the Drivers in this route to bring the gear to neutral when it is coming down.drrao always confident

Condolences for the families who have lost their loved ones. It will come down to a system failure, wherein a combination of human error or misjudgment and mechanical failure.Overcrowding in very common in the rural areas, especially on routes that link temples and major villages/towns.I was surprised to read two conflicting reports. The driver of this ill-fated bus, who was also killed in this accident was awarded the best driver award recently (https://www.ndtv.com/telangana-news/telangana-driver-involved-in-accident-awarded-last-month-for-driving-1915532).I read another report, that the same driver was involved in three major mishaps in the past (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/kondagattu-bus-mishap-driver-srinivas-was-involved-in-three-major-accidents/articleshow/65784441.cms).

The most important lesson from this tragedy is that, there are many factors beyond our control but as responsible people, a few of the passengers in overcrowded (buses, boats, shared autos, tempo travelers) should put their foot down on overcrowding and overspeeding for their own safety. This does not prevent an accident but at least the causalities and injured will be less.

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